The 49ers are expected to lose the 880-yard breakout star to the rival Seahawks in free agency

The San Francisco 49ers had a terrible season, but there were still some bright spots.

Injuries decimated the 49ers’ offense throughout the year and helped propel them from Super Bowl contenders to the bottom of the NFC West. Running back Christian McCaffrey, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, missed all but four of San Francisco’s games.

While McCaffrey’s absence was a net loss for the 49ers’ offense, backup running back Jordan Mason was given a chance to shine. And he shined, racking up 880 scrimmage yards in 12 games before succumbing to an injury himself.

With Mason’s rookie contract now expiring, the former free agent will look to cash in on his strong season. Could a division rival of the 49ers lure the 25-year-old from the Bay Area?

On Tuesday, FanSided’s Jonathan Eig speculated that the Seattle Seahawks, whose 2024 starting running back Kenneth Walker III also struggled with injury issues, could be a prime fit for Mason in free agency this spring.

“Based on his strong 2024, Mason should attract some interest, although he likely won’t pay a big price,” Eig wrote. “He could be an improvement over (Zach) Charbonnet and develop more of a complementary division of labor with Walker.”

“Walker would still be the main character, but Mason could really captivate him and keep Walker from wearing out so he could hopefully last a whole season.”

Seattle finished the season 10-7, but lost the division tiebreaker to the Los Angeles Rams and missed the playoffs by a single game. Walker can be a star when healthy, but he’s not McCaffrey, so Mason would likely still have more options in Seattle’s offense than if he stayed with the 49ers.

For Mason, it comes down to which teams value him the most, as he only made $2.6 million in his first three NFL seasons. If Seattle thinks he’s worth more than the 49ers, it makes perfect sense for him to choose to go there.

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